A significant downside to numbers is that they are difficult to own, at least in a legal sense. The fact that BMW already has a 3-series does not stop Hutchison from launching a mobile phone brand called 3, but as the two refer to very different markets, there is little danger of an unsuspecting consumer getting them mixed up.

In a very different way, UK directory inquiries service 118118 has also used its number to obtain category leadership. Following an EU-wide decision to use 118 as the prefix for all directory inquiry numbers, a round of auctions followed in most major countries.

While some operators attempted to gain numbers that carried some kind of meaning (118123 is the number you call to reach BT; 118247 is the number you call to reach Yell), canny operator infonXX acquired the number 118118. It then took the decision to use its telephone number as its brand name.

In the two years since launching, 118118 has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the UK market; part of the reason can be traced to its easily remembered, repetitive name. In fact, the first ad campaign played on this theme with twin spokesmen in identical 118 running clothes.

Chris Moss, chairman and former CEO of 118118, says that making numbers brands rather than just memorable numbers requires a different approach. He goes on to explain "When we chose to use our telephone number in this way, we first expected that a jingle and or tone would be the key... But everyone's heads are full of PIN numbers, house numbers, ZIP or postcode numbers, short dial numbers and password numbers… The key was to stand away from the crowd. To create a personality was paramount."

When Moss talks about creating a personality with his numerical brand, his business has clearly delivered against this objective. Originally, the only meaning 118 has is in virtue of its role as the standard European prefix for directory inquiry numbers. While this delivers a degree of prestige (and memorability) the real brilliance of the brand stems from using the number as the brand and doing so in such a successful manner.

The rare occasions where numbers will be universally recognized as "good" numbers tend to relate to mathematical symmetry or usage in counting protocols (such as time or dates). These are the closest you can get to inherent meaning as far as numbers are concerned. Numbers like 247, 0, or 365 immediately convey a stance: convenience, ubiquity (or the opposite) and availability, respectively. But, perhaps surprisingly, there are few examples of these numbers with mathematical appeal being used as brand names.

So numbers stand out in a world of words regardless of how the number is arrived at. But there are other advantages to numbers as brand names.

Perhaps most significantly, numbers can be used to neatly create sub-brands, with the added benefit that they fall neatly into an obvious hierarchy or sequence, for example, ABC1 and ABC2 in Australia, and BBC1 through to 4 in the UK. However, applying the same logic, it is interesting to note that ITV in the UK was able to launch a second channel as ITV2 by rebranding its first channel as ITV1. This would have been impossible if ITV had been in fact called Channel 3. Channel 3.1 and Channel 3.2 doesn't make much sense and doesn't sound like much of a portfolio.

Numbers have famously been used in the car industry – most notably by BMW, Volvo and Saab, but also to varying degrees by Mercedes, Mazda and others. As well as creating a brand architecture that is readily understood (with the added benefit that it incorporates a strong sense of ranking or progression), it also ensures product and company brands don't conflict.

It is no coincidence that automotive brands which are strongly product-led (Ford Focus, Toyota Echo, Hyundai Excel) tend to use words for the names of their products; while those that are more company-led (BMW 3-series, Maybach 57, Mazda 6) tend to use numbers.

It seems that as long as "bad" numbers are avoided, there are few barriers to numbers adopting meaning in the same way as made-up words. Numbers also have the in-built advantage that they can also provide an easy-to-remember contact mechanism (so long as appropriate URLs or telephone numbers can be secured). As we have seen, they also work particularly well for use as sub-brands.

Numbers can be differentiating within a sector, but as a consequence this means that the opportunity to use them as brand names is limited. It's a fair bet that there can only be one numerical brand within the mobile telecommunications market; and only one foodservice company with a number as its name. As noted above, the fact that many TV stations share the same (or very similar) numerical names has already caused problems.

There are limits to the way numbers work; they are not as flexible as words. Numbers are harder to protect than words; so it's unlikely that we'll see numerical brands in every category and every market segment. The fact that numbers need to adopt or co-opt meaning from other aspects of communications or brand experience also means they can be expensive.

The good news is that when they do work, numbers have the potential to stand out from the crowd.

[22-Aug-2005]